Tuesday, May 11, 2010

A Written Review: West Side Story


West Side Story is one of the better musical film adaptations ever made. While West Side Story as both a film and a musical is not one of my favorites it is an amazing accomplishment considering the subject material contained within the film, and the incredible sound design are quite impressive.
One of the most impressive things about West Side Story is the content of the film itself. The early 1960s was still an unsafe time for more mature themes to be used in films. Several times in West Side Story various drugs are referred to and the idea of the street gangs being the kings of the city was also something most films from this era would tend to shy away from. However, Broadway was always a step ahead of Hollywood in the social issue arena.
Another aspect of West Side Story is its wonderful sound design. West Side Story had some of the best dubbing I’ve seen in a musical for this era. However, a lot of this film was shot on a sound stage, making the sound a lot easier to manipulate and use. The end result is that all of the songs are crystal clear and the dialog sounds incredible.
West Side Story was an amazing film that moved both musicals and the film industry forward in many aspects. From the edgy source material to the amazing sound design, West Side Story is absolutely revolutionary.

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